


Pampered Pet

by SuccubustyKisses



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Loosely based off the Nightingale, M/M, Nightingale Lance, a sex scene, beta what beta, brief scenes of violence, demisexual keith, use of aphrodisiacs as lube
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2020-12-27 06:14:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21114032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuccubustyKisses/pseuds/SuccubustyKisses
Summary: The smile on Zarkon’s face is full of pride as he steps up to the bars. “This is a nightingale, the rare bird of the faerie realm, said to have the most beautiful singing voice. They say his singing can change your emotions depending on the type of songs he gives you. A true, rare, treasure.”“He’s beautiful.” Lotor reaches an arm out, through the bars, and frowns when it’s slapped away. “But definitely not tame.”“Well then you will have to tame him. A true king can tame any creature.”





	Pampered Pet

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! So this is my first piece for the Fable Voltron Fairytale exchange! It is VERY LOOSELY based off the fairytale of the Nightingale, and I hope you all enjoy it.

_It is said that there are many worlds beyond our own, many planets and planes, even many different versions of yourself. In one world, a man could be the cruelest of leaders, killing anyone who would stand in their way, even their own son._

_In another the same man could be a stern leader, but he was a loving man, awkward in his affections, raised a warrior who was made to fight, not love. But, this warrior would still cherish his heir and child and spoil him with the rarest of treasures in hopes that his love would shine through. _

_It is a world such as this that our story takes place, in a snowy land called Daibazall where a warrior king rules over his people by himself, after the passing of his beloved wife to the poisoned tip of an assassin’s blade. _

_Unable to raise his son on his own the king asked his faithful advisor for assistance, and so the advisor decided the king should hire a loving family to live in the palace with the prince, and help the king to raise him with both strength and heart._

_The prince grows strong, with a blade in his hand and compassion in his heart being raised side by side with the son of one of their greatest strategists. They were friends, allies, and practically brothers. Training together in preparation for what their future holds._

_For the prince, Lotor he wanted to become a king his deceased mother would be proud of._

_For the boy, Keith, to stay beside the future king and keep him and their kingdom safe from the outside world. Never to betray his prince, and to stay by his side forever._

_Our story begins here, on the dawn of the prince's twenty third birthday when his father bestows him the rarest of treasures._

The gift is huge this year, a giant dome much taller than Lotor himself that barely fits through the grand castle doors. It’s covered with a sheet of cloth that could probably blanket one of the poorer district's houses easily. Lotor smiles up at it, fingers itching to reach out and yank the fabric away and peek at what’s inside. He always was one to tell his father the gifts never mattered so long as he got to spend his birthday with him, but he isn’t going to lie and say he doesn’t love the gifts he receives. 

“Happy birthday, my son.” The King, Zarkon states as he stands from his throne, walking down the steps to look at the massive item his workers have wheeled in. “I wanted to get you something truly special this year, and when I heard the rumors of this creature I knew it would be the perfect gift for you.” 

A massive hand settles on Lotor's shoulder and he smiles up at his father. “I am always excited to see what you think I will enjoy, father. May I open it now?”

The smile that crosses Zarkon’s face is soft and full of love, a rare sight even for his son, it brings warmth to Lotor’s chest. With a flourish of his hand the King turns from his son to address his workers. “Remove the cover, let us see our prize.”

In a flourish of fabrics the cloth is removed, settled to the floor in a large pile and uncovering the intricate cage underneath. It's a beautiful golden color, swirls of decoration coming off the bars and embellished with glittering sapphire. Lotor’s eyes are so distracted by the cage it takes him a moment to catch the movement within, but when he does his eyes widen.

Standing within the cage is a man, tall with tan skin and chocolate locks that curl around his face making him seem almost ethereal. His body is draped in nearly sheer blue fabrics, and adorned with a scattering of red and blue feathers at his temples, wrists, legs, and a long train going down his back to drag the floor. Lotor is momentarily confused on how they got them to stick until he sees the large tail feathers shift and spread in a display that glitters in the light with the magic of the fae. 

The smile on Zarkon’s face is full of pride as he steps up to the bars. “This is a nightingale, the rare bird of the faerie realm, said to have the most beautiful singing voice. They say his singing can change your emotions depending on the type of songs he gives you. A true, rare, treasure.” 

“He’s beautiful.” Lotor reaches an arm out, through the bars, and frowns when it’s slapped away. “But definitely not tame.”

“Well then you will have to tame him. A true king can tame any creature.” Zarkon gives one more pat to his son's shoulder before turning to his advisor. “We’ve got a lot of work today so I’m afraid I can’t stay to celebrate your birthday further. The Kogane family will give you the proper party you deserve.”

“Yes father,” Lotor doesn’t turn his eyes from his gift as his father leaves. Glittering blue eyes settle on his own and the bird steps forward, an unnatural glow seems to swirl in his eyes as he stops in front of Lotor.

His lips are painted in a glittering blue that match his eyes, and Lotor settles on them, watching as they move and not even understanding the words that come out. It’s beautiful, an entrancing melody that fills his mind with a haze of bliss, of love, and he reaches out, running a thumb over a tan cheekbone. 

The foreign words fill his soul with warmth and he reaches up, fingers searching for the sensor of the lock. _Needing_ to get inside to his beloved. 

“I thought your dad was against slavery.” The voice startles him, causing him to crack his wrist against the bars of the cage and swivel away from the Nightingale's hypnotic gaze and over to frowning violet ones. 

“Keith.” Lotor pulls his hand back from the cage, pulling his friend into a hug before turning back to the cage, arm wrapped around his shoulder. “My father got me a Nightingale, isn’t he beautiful.”

Brows still knit Keith’s violet gaze runs down the Nightingale's body, then back up again. “I suppose if you’re into scrawny over polished men.”

The blue eyes widen, shock taking over before the bird scoffs and turns away, stomping over to the other side of the cage like it will give him any sort of privacy. Lotor laughs, digging a knuckle into his best friend’s hair. “You always were too blunt for your own good.”

“I'm just being honest.” Keith pouts, shy look overtaking his face as he turns to look at the Nightingale again. “He looks unhappy.”

“Well, you did just insult him.” Lotor chuckles, pulling away from Keith to offer his hand out in the cage again, heart falling when the bird simply scoffs and turns away with crossed arms. 

“Are you going to let him out?” Keith looks up at the lock, then back to the Nightingale. “I don’t think anyone would be happy being locked up in a tiny cage with no privacy.”

“That’s a wonderful idea, Keith.” Lotor snacks him on the back with a pleased smile turning his eyes back to curious blue ones within the cage. “Lets go shopping for some elegant bindings for my new pet and then we can get him out of there and feed him properly.”

Keith sighs, head turned to watch the curious gaze of the Nightingale as it watches them walk away. “So he really is a slave.”

* * *

Tact never really was part of Keith’s life. He just doesn’t understand why anyone would need to be anything more than honest. He doesn’t _mean_ to offend people, he just doesn’t want to lead them on. He's never truly regret the way he words things before, why should he? He's trained by the best warriors in the land, able to top even the most seasoned of knights, he lives in the castle and is best friends with the prince. He has even befriended princes from other lands. 

Keith knows he will go far in life, not just because he was blessed with such a good life from the king hiring his parents, but because he works hard to get what he wants. That being said he’s obviously startled when the prince stands at his door, glowing bind of a leash attached to his wrist and looking down at Keith like he brought him a cow pie. 

“You… Want someone else to escort you?” He repeats the words sent down at him, hoping they’ll make more sense from his own mouth.

“Yes, Keith. I'm going to take Blue out to the gardens for some fresh air and exercise, but he doesn’t feel comfortable around you.” Lotor gives him an apologetic smile before turning back to the interior of his room. “Are you ready to go, beautiful?”

There is no noise from inside indicating an answer, but Keith assumes the bird inside must have nodded when Lotor's smile turns bright and almost dreamy. “Wonderful, let’s go.”

“You shouldn’t go without someone.” Keith adds in, pouting at the door like he can see the creature within that’s so effectively changing his life.

“I'm going with Blue, we'll be fine. Go train or something. Maybe visit the market and get some of those rolled pizzas you love so much.” Lotor pushes the door open further causing Keith to step back before holding an arm out, giving a content sigh when the humanoid Nightingale comes out and settles under his arm. “You should relax, it’s good to spend some time apart.”

Pouting Keith watches as Lotor walks away, the Nightingale tucked under his arm with a glowing collar adorning his neck. As they move down the hallway the creature turns, oceanic eyes meeting with Keith’s and it smirks. “_Loser._”

Keith’s eyes widen and he scowls turning the other way to stomp off and work off some frustrations. “We’ll see who the loser here is in the end. Worthless bird.”

The Nightingale almost trips, wide eyes watching Keith’s back as he walks away. He mutters some words, but Lotor can’t understand them, and decides he should invest in a tutor to teach the bird his language.

* * *

Lance sits on the grass, feathers spread out around him soaking in the warm rays of the sun to combat the chill air. His new _owner_ is much nicer than the previous ones, not once demanding he sing or raising his hand. He simply seems happy keeping Lance with him. As far as slavery goes, Lance has it pretty good. The finest of clothes and jewelry, all the food he could want, no demands. He really is just a pampered pet.

A pampered pet who still wants his freedom. He'll never regret sacrificing himself that day, so long ago, distracting the trappers so his family could escape. Sure, he's spent years forced in situations he cares to not remember, but at least his family got away. Sighing wistfully at the thoughts of his family he looks up, allowing his eyes to settle on the display in front of him.

The man who calls him pet is out in the field, his breath puffing out in visible clouds as he holds a large sword in front of him. Standing opposite of him is the one called Keith, a pale man who’s eyes sparkle violet with the blessing of the fae, but doesn’t seem to understand at all how to use it. He holds two daggers, those magical eyes following every twitch of movement Lotor makes as he sizes him up and waits for an attack.

He knows the language of the court. But shows no sign of knowing anything else about it. To say that Lance is confused is an understatement. Sighing loudly, he picks at the ground, pulling out a rock and waiting. Just as he’d hoped, Lotor lunges, sword clashing with the crossed daggers in Keith’s strong grip and pressing down.

Lance grins, tossing the rock gently in the air once to test it’s weight before he reacts. The throw is quick and easily on point, smacking lightly into the back of Keith’s skull and successfully distracting him. Keith falls to his back, one dagger flying out of his hand while he scrambles to keep a grip on the other. Easily taking advantage of the situation Lotor presses his sword into the ground right next to Keith’s neck and leans against it, grinning down at his friends.

“Did you slip on the ice?” His voice is accented, Lance would lie if he said he didn’t enjoy it. A strand of snowy hair falls into his face and Lance smiles as it’s brushed away. “Not very agile today, Keith. I thought you'd put up more of a fight.”

“It’s not my fault! Something hit me in the back of the head.” Keith pushes himself away from the sword and up into sitting, glancing over his shoulder. His eyes land on Lance’s and realization dawns quickly as Lance sends him a coy wave back.

“Making up excuses was never your way. Have you gotten rusty on me in the weeks we've been seeing each other less?” Lotor holds out a hand, pulling his friend up with ease and brushing his shoulders off for him.

Keith swirls around, glaring across the field at him. “Your stupid bird sabotaged me!”

Scoffing Lance tilts his head, putting on his most innocent face. “_Sabotaged? I was simply helping you prepare for anything. What kind of royal guard can’t even protect his own back in battle._”

“You little shit!” Keith stomps forward, arm outstretched to grab at the fabric of Lance’s cloak. He's stopped mere inches from his grip, a lavender hand gripping his wrist tightly. “He threw a rock at me.”

“I’m sure Blue was just playing with you. Maybe he’s bored. Do you want to join our training, Blue?” Lotor’s sunshine gaze turns to Lance, a kind smile on his face as he watches for a reaction.

“_I'm going to enjoy kicking your ass._” He stands with a flourish of feathers, shaking off the dirt before holding a hand out to Lotor, waving towards his sword then back to Keith.

Lotor frowns for a moment before slowly settling the sword into Lance's grip, it’s weight is hefty, a little hard to hold, but the size isn’t much different from his own sword back home. Lance swings it a few times to get a hang of it before fucking his feathers back and turning to take his stance, eyes narrowed to look at Keith. 

Thick brows furrow as Keith looks at the sword, then Lance, before a pleased smile crosses his face. On agile feet Keith quickly moves to grab his daggers from the ground before jogging back to take his own stance, eyes locked with Lance’s own. 

Lotor looks between them before shrugging with a soft smile and stepping away. “Don’t kill each other.” 

“No promises.”

“_Don't worry Keef, I’ll take it easy on you._” Lance shifts on his feet, confident smile watching as Keith moves to mirror his own steps. 

“I won’t.” Keith lunges forward, one blade clashing against Lance’s before spinning and swinging the other to his head, narrowly missing as he ducks under just far enough that Lance almost gets a new haircut. 

Feathers puff out in indignation and Lance reacts, knocking one blade flying with a spin and smack of his tail before crashing into the other with his sword again. They go back and forth for what seems like a while, but is probably only about five minutes before Lance finds himself pinned to the ground, wrists held tight in Keith’s firm grasp as his confident violet gaze grins down at him.

“I win.” Keith smirks, cocking a brow in challenge. Lance swallows, willing back a sudden blush as he shoves the man off.

“_You only won because I’m out of practice. I could wipe the floor with you if I were able to train every day._” Lance pushes himself to his feet, brushing the dirt from his feathers and ignoring his rapid heartbeat. Keith merely shakes his head moving to pick up his knives. 

“Your bird is a sore loser, Lotor.” 

The prince laughs, a rich rolling of sound as he picks up his own sword. “I can only imagine the things he says to you, but with the faces he always gives you I'm sure they aren’t that pleasant.”

“If he weren’t so stubborn he could learn to talk to you too.” Keith sheaths his blades and turns to Lance again, watching as the Nightingale brushes fingers through his sparkling feathers. “It would be nice to have a conversation that doesn’t end in an argument with him.”

Chewing on his lip Lance comes to a decision and turns to properly face the two men who care for him, he kneels down slowly, but keeps his eyes up to watch them. “My name is Lance, and I speak just fine.”

* * *

The castle is draped in light, curtains and flowers of pink scattering nearly every open surface. Lotor has never hated the color more than he does on this day every year. Looking strictly at the ground to avoid any hints of pink he leads the way into the dining area, Lance just behind him and Keith taking up the rear. 

A good breakfast will surely help raise his mood, even on such a horrible day. They settle in and the workers move quickly to bring them piles filled with ham and eggs. He looks down at his meal with a sigh, poking at the jiggling yolk. 

Foreign words fill the air, something he's grown used to, usually he's curious about what Lance may be saying in his home tongue, but today he just doesn’t have the energy to think about it. Another voice replies shortly after, Keith answering in words that Lotor can understand.

“It’s to represent the Queen’s memory. Pink is the color of mourning, every year on the anniversary of her murder they fill the castle with pink upon the King's request. It’s been 17 years and he still mourns her like it was yesterday.” Keith bites into his eggs like his words don’t sting, typical Keith, never good at reading emotions. 

A warm hand settles over Lotor’s, startling him to look up with wide eyes into concerned blue ones. Lance gives him a sad smile, thumb brushing over his knuckles. “May I sing a song for your mother?”

“I think she'd like that.” He smiles softly, heart swelling at the happiness on Lance’s face as he leans back into his seat. 

It takes a few minutes before he begins, taking his time to settle his hands in his lap and close those entrancing eyes before he begins. When he finally does it’s in the same language Lotor doesn’t understand, but the feeling comes through, filling Lotor’s chest with love, an affection coming over him that he hasn’t felt since he was small, running into his mother’s arms after a day of play.

He doesn’t even realize he’s crying until the song stops and a hand reaches out to brush the tears away. Snuggling his face into the soft feathers at Lance’s wrist Lotor blinks his eyes open to look up at him. “It’s like she was here, telling me everything would be okay.”

“That song.” The deep timbre of Zarkon’s voice startles all eyes to look at the door where the king stands ready. “Sing it again.”

“Father?” Lotor goes to stand but is quickly shooed away as Zarkon walks up to Lance, looming over him he repeats his demand.

“Sing that song again, bird.” Lance looks up at Zarkon with fear before turning his eyes to Lotor. The prince gives him a nod and, with hesitance in his voice, Lance songs the words again.

The same feeling washes over him, but it’s dulled now, as if feeling the hugs through layers of clothing. Lotor soaks it in anyway, relishing in the feeling of love he hasn’t felt since his mother’s passing. When it’s over he opens his eyes and watches his father standing almost in a trance.

“Father?”

Zarkon shakes himself out of it, turning his eyes down at Lance and blinking slowly. “You truly are the Nightingale.”

Lance says something in that other language, his face looking almost disgusted. Lotor turns to look at Keith but finds the other looking anywhere but at them. Frowning he stands, walking to the end of the table.

“It was lovely to see you, Father. But we must be going now.” He holds out his arm expectantly and isn’t surprised when he finds Lance clinging to his elbow and practically dragging him towards the door. “I will see you later, Father.”

“Yes…” Zarkon watches them leave, eyes settling on Lance. “I will see you later.”

* * *

The song rings through the air, making it easy for Keith to find who he was searching for. It’s been two months since the anniversary of Queen Honerva's death and Zarkon has demanded Lance sing him that same song at least once a day. Keith knows it makes him uncomfortable, he can see it in his posture, the way his fists clench in the fabric of his clothing, in the way he always turns to look at Lotor hoping the prince will save him. 

He never does.

So Keith decides to take things into his own hands today. He's going to give Lance a good day, because he deserves it, and Keith still thinks it’s wrong that he’s being kept here like a pet. He moves into the throne room, striding up to Lotor and easily slipping the bracelet off his wrist in his dazed state. 

They always get in a near hypnotic state when Lance sings, he doesn’t understand it but isn’t going to question it when it works to his advantage. With a confident smirk he puts the bracelet on his own wrist, feeling the warm buzz as it clicks on, watching the matching glow on Lance’s own collar. 

_Perfect_

Lance watches him, confusion knitting his brows as he continues to sing, but doesn’t take his eyes away from Keith. Pushing to his feet Keith waits until the song ends before placing a hand on Lotor's shoulder. 

“Your Majesty, I'm going to take Lance for his walk today, all this singing lately has left him denying his proper exercise.” Keith grins as Lotor lets out an incoherent answer with a sleepy nod of his head. Just as he expected.

Not waiting for the royals to come out of their daze Keith jogs up to Lance, grabbing his hand and pulling him through the doors and towards the exit of the castle.

“Keith what are you doing?” Lance stumbles as he glances over his shoulder.

“Giving you an off day.” He shoves open the door, quickly using the alleyways to weave his way through the village and far enough away from the castle to be safe. 

Finally stopping Keith turns to Lance with a shy smile, pulling a long cloak from his bag he wraps it around the shivering bird, tugging the hood up to hide his appearance. “There, all warm.”

“I can’t believe you just kidnapped me.” Lance's voice is awed as he stares at the glowing bracelet on Keith’s wrist. “What exactly are we supposed to do now?”

“I don’t know! I just thought you’d like a break!” Keith huffs out an annoyed breath, crossing his arms at his chest as he turns away. “It’s the best I can do and hopefully not lose everything I have.”

Blue eyes watch Keith for a few minutes, scanning what they can see of his face before Lance smiles softly, reaching out to run his hand over Keith’s own. “Thank you, Keith.”

Blushing Lightly Keith uncrossed his arms, breaking the contact and turning back towards the streets. He scans the area for a few minutes before holding his hand out, keeping his face turned away. “Come on, I'll show you some of my favorite places.”

“Do those places include food?” Lance perks up, feathers ruffling under the large cloak.

“The most delicious unhealthy foods you can eat.” Keith finally looks at Lance with a huge grin. “My dad showed me all the good places around town before he passed away.”

“Hell yeah, let’s eat.” Lance reaches out, taking Keith’s hand and intertwining their fingers. “Lead the way.”

* * *

The sun is high in the sky by the time they settle in an alcove of trees off the edge of town. Keith sets out a basket he got from a nearby shop and opens it up to present piles of different types of food that leave Lance’s mouth watering. Exploring the city can build up quite an appetite. 

They sit close enough together that their legs bump together as they move and eat nearly all the food before Lance decides it’s too quiet. He glances over at Keith, watching as he tosses bits of his sandwich out to gathering birds and squirrels. 

“Hey Keith, how do you know the language of the court?” Lance finishes off his own sandwich, shooting a glare to an encroaching black bird.

“You mean that language you speak when you sing? My dad taught it to me.” Keith holds a large chunk of his bread out to the black bird, making a pleased smile when it takes it from his fingers. “He taught me a lot of stuff when I was young that he said would help me when I'm older.”

“Huh…” Lance glances over at Keith, taking in his pale flesh and slightly pointed ears, the violet tint to his hair when the sun hits it, and slight point to his nails. “What do you know about your family, Keith?”

“My dad traveled the world saving people, when he met my mom they actually had this big misunderstanding and almost killed each other.” Keith laughs. “Next thing they know they were married and traveling together.”

“How romantic.” Lance chuckles and Keith bumps shoulders with him. 

“They kept traveling until mom got pregnant with me, then they moved here intending to stay until I was old enough to travel safely.” Keith waves more food out for the black bird. “They got offered the job in the palace by Uncle Kolivan and well, here I am.” 

“So you just want to stay in the castle your whole life? What about seeing the world? Falling in love? Having a family of your own? Will you really just give up your life to stay there with Lotor?” Lance looks down at his fingers as he talks, his mind flashing with memories of his home and family.

“Lotor is my family, we were raised together. Plus, we have lots of people come through the castle, and the only one I've ever had pique my interest isn’t mine to claim.” Keith gives a wry smile and a shrug, wagging his finger at the black bird.

Before Lance can even tell him how stupid an idea that is Keith is recoiling from the large, unhappy bird, clutching his finger to his chest and cursing. Lance laughs, he can’t help it, Keith looks so betrayed giving the bird a pout that could rival a puppy. 

“You should have known he'd do that. He thought your finger was food.” Lance shoos the bird away with a flourish of feathers before reaching out and pulling Keith’s hand towards himself. With a soft smile he starts to sing, a song of trust and health. When it’s over he wipes the blood away with his cloak and looks down at the unmarred flesh of Keith’s finger. “There, good as new.”

“You… healed me.” Keith wiggles his finger in front of his face. “That’s amazing. Mom used to just kiss it and say it took the pain away… but you actually did.”

“Well, if you'd rather have a kiss.” Lance takes Keith’s hand back in his own, pulling it up to his lips. The movements are slow, and he maintains eye contact the whole time, giving Keith plenty of time to pull away before he presses his lips to the healed finger. “There… all better.”

Keith swallows hard, a dark flush crawling up his neck and making the freckles of his cheeks stand out. 

They stand in pregnant silence for long enough that Lance gets nervous and sets Keith’s hand down with a soft pat. “So tell me about this girl you like.”

“What? I don’t like a girl.” Keith waves his hand in the air as he looks away. “Pretty sure I'm gay as I've only ever liked one person and he's not a girl. He's much more beautiful than any girl could ever dream of being, though.”

“Oh yeah? A pampered prince from another land maybe?” Lance leans in closer in his curiosity .

Keith laughs, looking back at Lance with a smile like a cat who knows exactly where the canary went. “More like a pampered pet, really.”

“Oh…” Lance's eyes widen as he licks his lips, watching Keith’s eyes dart down to follow the movement. “And you… can’t have this pet?”

“Afraid so. You see he belongs to my best friend, he keeps him leashed to his side at all times.” 

Lance's hand goes up to his neck, rubbing at the collar there, his eyes dropping to his lap. A glow of blue distracts him and he turns his gaze to Keith’s wrist and the band for the leash on it. A grin slowly spreads across his face. “But what if you’re the one holding the leash?”

“What are you…” Lance holds Keith’s hand up, the bracelet glowing between them. “_Oh._ Well… if I had control of this pet I'd let him do whatever he wanted.”

“Whatever he wants, huh?” Lance laces their fingers together and tugs lightly, pulling Keith in closer. “What if he wants to do something inappropriate?”

“I’ll try my best to make him happy.” Their lips press together in a soft, hesitant kiss, then another, and another. Soon the kisses are deeper, sloppier, both men panting into each other’s mouths as hands wander. They only pull apart when the black bird returns and lets out an unhappy noise beside them. 

They pull apart laughing, hair a tousled mess and a stray feather fallen onto the ground between them. Lance picks it up and carefully tucks it behind Keith’s ear. “We should go somewhere more private.” 

“Is that what you want?”

“I want to feel you inside of me.” Lance whispers the words against Keith’s lips, and feels the resulting groan. 

“We can go back to my room.” Keith is already standing even as he makes the offer, Lance is more than happy to agree and before long they’re sneaking back into the castle, giggling as they hide behind pillars and sneak behind oblivious servants. 

They crash into Keith’s room and fall to the bed side by side laughing, Keith throws a hand over his eyes as he laughs and Lance can’t help but watch the way the joy overtakes his face. Licking at his lips he leans in, pressing a quick peck to Keith’s lips. The laughter dies instantly and they’re left staring at each other’s eyes.

“Hey.” Keith's voice is breathy.

“Hi there.” Lance’s reply is followed by wandering fingers, running up Keith’s chest then down. “You sure you wanna settle for a palace pet?”

“I’m pretty sure you're the one doing the settling.” Keith reaches up, fingers weaving into Lance’s hair and pulling him down into a slow, deep kiss. 

Their movements are clumsy as they scramble to touch as much of each other as they can without breaking the kiss. Hands fumble with belts and tug on feathers, somehow miraculously stripping each other of their clothing without being separated for too long. It isn’t until Keith feels the grip of Lance’s fingers surrounding his cock that he realizes this is actually happening. 

“Fuck, Lance wait.” Keith gives a sigh of relief when the other quickly moves off of him.

“Did you change your mind?” Lance tries not to pout, folding his hands in his lap refusing to touch his obvious boner. “I’m sorry if I-“

“No!” Keith flails, sitting up and almost head-butting Lance in his frantic movement. “I don’t want to stop, or for you to go away. It’s just… look I’ve done this before. A few times. But I could never really… _feel_ why people liked it. But when you touch me my whole body feels like it’s catching on fire and I will happily burn up in the flames.”

“So you’re… enjoying it… Then why did we stop?” Lance shifts, his tail feathers ruffling against the sheets. 

“Because I was enjoying it too much. I want to make you feel good too, Lance.” Keith reaches over, hand settling on Lance’s folded ones still on his lap. “Let me take care of you.”

“Oh. Yeah, cool. Cool. We can… cool, do you want me to…” Lance waves an arm at the bed and Keith nods.

“Spread your feathers out, if it doesn’t hurt I mean… I… I want to see you spread out on my bed.” Keith scoots off the bed, digging around in a drawer while Lance settles himself with a deep flush of his cheeks. 

When he comes back Keith is holding a small glass vial, rubbing it between his hands and blowing on it. Lance holds a hand up, beckoning him closer, pleased when Keith is careful to not crush a feather as he climbs onto the bed above him.

The vial is opened and Keith pours some onto his fingers, the fluid dripping down onto Lance’s leg where it seems to warm into a pleasant tingle. “What is that?”

“Oh!” Keith looks startled, looking down at his hand and back up at Lance. “It’s a potion to help make it feel good… I'm afraid it’s all I have for lubricant… do you want me to-“

“Get down here and use it to fuck me already?” Lance winks, holding his arms up in invitation. “Yes, yes I do.”

Keith’s grin is near blinding, his eyes practically glowing as he leans down to reconnect their lips like a starved man. The sensation of the lube on Lance’s hole has him moaning into the kiss, and as Keith works him open he can’t help but moan out his pleasure, nails digging into the flesh of Keith’s back. The lube leaves his body feeling hot and desperate, every touch of Keith’s flesh against his own leaves him calling out for more. 

Finally, _finally_ Keith stops torturing him with his fingers and slowly pushes in. It burns, but the added tingle of the lubricant makes the burn feel amazing and before long Keith is seated fully within him, hand brushing the hair from his face and fingers brushing the feathers there. Lance snuggles into the touch, letting out pleased little noises that sound an awful lot like a bird’s chirp. 

“You okay?” Keith lets his fingers run down his flesh, brushing from forehead to cheek, chin to neck.

“Great. Good. Fantastic.” Lance smiles up at him, hands shifting into long hair to pull him down into a kiss. “Even better once you start moving.”

Keith chuckles into the kiss, but does as he's told. He moves slowly, setting a deep, steady rhythm that leaves them both moaning into the kiss in need for more. They speed up, skin slapping together and moans echoing through the room. It’s loud, it's uninhibited, it's _perfect._

It doesn’t take long before Keith’s hands are pressing between them, scrambling to grip Lance’s length and pull him over the edge into completion. “So beautiful, Lance you’re so beautiful.”

“Keith,” Lance's eyes are filled with tears as he pulls Keith down again, kiss after sloppy kiss pressed to his lips. “Please, Keith I want to finish with you. Please I’m so close.”

“Me too, baby. Almost there.” Their movements are disjointed and uncoordinated, bodies coming together with no sort of rhythm as they finally drive each other to the end. Cum splashed up Lance’s chest, smearing between them as he clutches tighter to Keith's shoulders. He whimpers as Keith thrusts shallowly into him, spilling his own release inside with a low groan. 

They’re panting, into each other’s neck, calming down from the high of release with pleased smiles. Lance's grip loosens and he flops back onto the mattress, eyes shining brightly up at Keith. “Hey.”

Keith laughs, leaning down to press a kiss to the feathers on the side of his head. “I think we're a little past-“

“A little past the boundaries set for you? It’s true you are.” Lotor’s voice causes both men to freeze, wide eyes turning to the door where the prince stands with crossed arms. “I must say when you decided to go gallivanting around without me I didn’t expect it to end here. Though, now that I think about it I really should have. You two were always watching each other.”

“Lotor, I-“ Keith moves to sit up and Lotor waves him off.

“Don’t bother, Keith. We can discuss this later and why you didn’t think you could trust me. Lance, please get dressed.” Lotor turns his back to them. “Make sure Keith gives you my bracelet on your way out.”

The door closes behind him and Keith frowns down at Lance. “Guess we weren’t as stealthy as we thought.”

“We could leave.” Lance looks up at him with wide, hopeful eyes. “Sneak out the window and run off together. Just you and me.”

“I can’t, Lance.” Keith pushes away, grabs his shirt to wipe Lance off. He refuses to make eye contact as he finishes his task and moves to pick up Lance’s clothes and hand them to him. “We’re better off here. Lotor will understand. We'll talk to him and he'll understand and we can be together here where it’s safe and you can be well taken care of.”

“I don’t want to be taken care of Keith! _I want to go home!_” Tears run down Lance’s face as he shoves his shirt on, using his feathers to shield his lower body. “You don’t know what it’s like. You never will! Leaving me here… we won’t be together. You're a fool.”

“Lance, please I know it seems hard right now.” Keith steps forward but Lance turns on him in anger. 

“I’d rather my last day of freedom have been with anyone other than you!” Lance whirls back around, grabbing the rest of his clothes and stomping out the door. 

Keith’s stretches his arm out, trying to grab Lance but he only hits open air. He moves into the hallway, nearly colliding with Lotor in his chase. Lotor turns a pitying smile to him, holding out his hand as he watches his pet stand at the end of the hall, back turned and waiting.

“We will work it out, Keith. Don’t worry. I just want everyone to be happy.” Keith frowns, trying to look around Lotor to Lance but to no avail. With a sigh he pulls off the bracelet, setting it in Lotor’s hand. 

“I want to talk about this first thing tomorrow.”

“Of course, Keith. We'll discuss it over breakfast.” A hand falls on his shoulder before Lotor walks away. “See you in the morning, dear friend.”

* * *

Keith doesn’t sleep. He doesn’t even try. He hits the bag hanging from the ceiling, goes through his workout routine more than once. He even cleans his room and changes his sheets. When he finds one of Lance’s small feathers he clutches it to his chest and resists the urge to go get him. 

_Should have never let him go._

Morning comes and he practically runs down the hall, headed for the kitchen where he smells their morning meal still cooking. He reaches the dining area and bursts inside with wide, hopeful eyes. 

Violet eyes settle on the lavender skin of his best friend and Keith frowns. “Lotor? Where’s Lance?”

“He's safe.” Lotor doesn’t look up from his food, voice quiet as he takes another slow bite. “Father thinks it’s dangerous to have him out and about, that I can’t trust someone to try to take him for good. He says we were lucky with you but we won’t be next time.”

“Lotor what did you do?” Keith marches up to the table, waving off the servant when they come up holding food. He presses both hands to the table and leans over to look at Lotor. “Lotor, _where is Lance?_”

“He's locked in his cage. We've changed the code so no one can get it open but father.” Lotor looks up and his face is filled with guilt. “He’s safe where he can’t leave us. You can still see him from there.”

“You've locked him away in a tiny cage and call him _safe_? He'll never be happy there. You’ve ruined his life. I should have never let him go last night.” Keith swirls around, stomping to the throne room, unsurprised to hear the singing from within it. 

He stops in the doorway, eyes landing on the golden cage in the center of the room, and the figure sitting within. Lance looks broken, his feathers dropping around him and face looking down. He's slouched over, sitting on his knees with his fists on his thighs. 

Turning to look over at the throne he watches Zarkon, settled in his gaze from the song looking at peace. Swallowing down his guild Keith waits until the song is over, fists clenched at his sides. 

When the song ends Zarkon takes a moment to regain himself, then stands. He walks across the room to stand over the cage, smiling down at the glaring form within it. “Nightingale. You will never leave this cage again. Your sweet songs will serve this family for the rest of your life. You should have never left the castle.”

“I would rather die in the sun than die in your stone prison.” Lance spits, turning his head away. Zarkon laughs, hands pressed against the bar. 

“Then maybe I'll let them wheel you outside when you’re on your deathbed.” He turns away, steps echoing as he walks down the opposite hall. 

As soon as the steps are far enough away Keith runs out, skidding to a stop and colliding with the bars. “Lance?”

“Keith!” Lance scrambles forward, arms reaching through the bars to cup Keith’s face and bring him closer. “You came to get me out of here, right? You talked to Lotor and now you’re going to let me out. Right?”

“I can’t.” Keith snuggles into Lance’s hand, but refuses to make eye contact. “The lock will only open from the King now.”

“I told you this would happen.” Lance pushes up to his feet, pacing the cage. “You didn’t listen to me.”

“I know and I’m sorry, Lance. I’m so sorry.” Keith stands up too now, reaching an arm out to try to stop Lance’s pacing. “I’ll find a way to get you free, I promise.” 

Blue eyes look down at the hand extended into his cage, then back up to its owner. “Then prove it.”

* * *

_Blood pools along the hall, filling the cracks in the rocks of the floor. Screams echoing through the air like the song of birds in the spring. His steps leave prints as he moves through the corridors, headed for the throne room. With wide eyes he enters the room, looking into the open cage to meet with glowing blue. The Nightingale smiles, sharp fangs flashing as his feathers spread out. A shadow looms overhead and he turns, eyes going impossibly wider as they settle on the wide, dazed form of the king. A large fist comes down._

“Father, no!” Lotor shoots up from bed with a scream, arms flying up to shield his head. He pants heavily into the thick, dark air of the night as his shaking hands slowly fall to his lap. He glances over to the bed beside his own, intricately carved with the etching of birds, but empty for weeks now. 

His eyes slowly move back to his lap and the bracelet still on his wrist, no longer glowing. Fighting down his heart rate Lotor clutches his fist, his mind made up.

He has to end it.

* * *

The food in his bag is warm on his back as Keith sneaks back into the castle, weaving his way through the halls and headed for the throne room. He's only a few rooms off when a body steps out of the halls in front of him. He nearly collides with her bulk as she looks down at him with a wry smile.

“Hello, Keith.” She crosses her arms, brow raising as she takes in the guilty face he points back up at him. 

“Mother.” Keith puts a hand to his chest, calming himself from the shock of her appearing before him so suddenly. “What brings you back here? I thought you were in Altea working with the Duchess Romelle.” 

“I was, but the prince sent me a letter. So here I am.” Krolia smiles, pulling her son to her chest in a warm embrace. “It’s good to see you again, Keith.”

“I’ve missed you too.” He soaks in the feeling of his mother’s hug before slowly stepping away to look up at her. “But I don’t understand, what would Lotor say that would bring you back here?”

“Keith, do you remember when you were young? How we would train together and you would ask me about the things I would see when I left the castle?” She puts her arm over her son's shoulder and walks him down the hall. “You used to always say you wanted to see the world and everything it had to offer.”

“I always hoped you'd take me with you whenever you left on your little trips with Kolivan.” Keith chuckles, letting his mom lead him towards his destination, towards Lance. 

“We trained you to be one of the best, Keith. Even though I wanted you to live a happy, comfortable life here with the prince. You were trained to be one of us.” Krolia reaches behind her, pulling out a necklace, a circular charm with a glowing symbol on it. “Now it’s time for you to become one of us.” 

Keith reaches out, taking the necklace and holding it in his cupped hands with confusion. “Mom?”

“Keep this with you, no matter where you go we will be there for you.” She stops at the doorway to the throne room, placing a leather bound book in his hand. “You are a blade, through legacy and skill. No matter where you go, my son. I will always be with you.”

She walks into the throne room, leaving Keith confused looking down at the book in his hand, the same symbol on the front of it. He shakes his head, knowing his mother to be strange and cryptic his entire life. Looping the necklace quickly onto his neck he peeks into the silent throne room, ready to sit and wait for a clearing before he moves into the room to visit Lance.

His eyes settle on the people in the room, confusion muddling his brain as he takes in the sight. His mother stands by the cage, hand extended into the bars, smiling softly at Lance. By the entrance to the cage is Lotor, standing with his father at his side and Kolivan standing directly behind him. 

Lotor looks at Krolia, watching her clasp hands with Lance. Her lips move and then three pairs of eyes turn to look at the entrance, settling at Keith standing in it. Keith swallows under the gaze of his mother, best friend, and lover. He steps forward, unconsciously tucking the book into his bag. 

“Keith, you're late.” Lotor steps forward holding his arms open as he sends his friend a sad smile. “We haven’t got long before the guards come.”

“What’s going on?” Keith frowns, looking around at everyone before his eyes settle on the king. His wrists are bound, eyes lidded and hazy. His attention doesn’t move away from the cage and the bird within. “What’s wrong with your father?”

“He’s under hypnotic suggestion from the Nightingale. Lotor walks up to Keith, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and pulling him forward. They step up to the cage and Keith looks around in confusion at everyone.

“I don’t understand what’s-“

“You're leaving.” Lotor says, giving a small one armed hug before pulling away. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the deactivate bracelet, placing it in Keith’s hand. “Take Lance and go, the prince Shirogane is waiting for you outside of town. He will escort both of you to Altea, from there you will meet with Romelle and Princess Allura. They will help you as far as much as they can. You cannot return here. Do you understand?”

“I don’t-“

“We don’t have time to repeat it, the spell will wear off any minute.” Kolivan ushers the king forward, raising his hand up to the king. He places the King’s thumb to the lock and it unhooks with a loud beeping and click. 

The door flies open and Lance rushes out, arms wrapping around Keith nearly knocking him off his feet. Unable to resist the embrace he clutches Lance tight, burying his nose in his neck.

“I’m so sorry Lance.”

“I know. I'm sorry too.” Lance pulls back, a small smile pulling on his lips as he leans in to press a kiss to his lips. “I love you.”

“You dare go against me!” The voice of the king booms through the room, startling everyone into action. A massive fist comes down, colliding with Lotor and sending him crashing into the side of the cage where he crumples into a heap. He stomps forward, arms raised headed for the couple.

Keith grabs Lance, shoving him behind his back and stands tall, glaring up at the oncoming king. Just as the shadow looms over them Zarkon stops, eyes going wide before he falls to the floor, a pool of blood forming around a dark blade in his back. 

“Keith you have to go.” Kolivan moves forward, grabbing his knife and yanking it easily from Zarkon’s back. “You will be killed if you stay here now.”

With a nod Keith grabs Lance’s hand and turns towards the door. He gets about five steps before the tug on his hand stops him. “Lance? We have to go!”

“I can heal him.” Lance moves forward, hands hovering over the king. He looks over at Lotor, still on the floor looking anywhere but at his father. “I can save him.”

Before anyone can tell him not to Lance is singing. The words of life filling the room and mending the wound on the King’s back. When the song ends Lance steps back, stumbling from fatigue. Keith moves forward to catch him and pull him back, away from the stirring body.

“We have to go.” Lance nods at Keith’s words and lets him lead him away, the glance back at the door, watching the king slowly push to his feet, confusion on his face. 

“He won’t remember me being here.” Lance says as they head for the courtyard and the town outside of it. “The memories will eventually come back, but for now they’ll be a blank in his mind.”

“Good, that gives us time to escape.” Keith smiles, pulling Lance into the alleyways outside of the castle, the same area they started their first adventure together. “You sure you want to do this with me?”

“Well, who else is going to go on adventures with me?” Lance smiles, pulling Keith into a soft kiss. “You’re stuck with me now. I hope you're ready.”

Keith laughs, pulling him in for one more kiss. “I think I'm starting to get used to the idea.”

**Author's Note:**

> That's it! The intro was a weird experiment for me so I hope it worked out. 
> 
> If you liked this please feel free to check me out on Twitter @Succubustykiss and remember your comments and kudos fuel me.


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